In order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, several local governmental entities and businesses are closing their doors until further notice. Fairfax County Public Schools are closed until at least April 10. Libraries, parks, and centers are also closed for at least two weeks.

The following list of the latest closures will be updated regularly as the situation evolves.

Reston

The Walker Nature Center is closed until further notice. All activities are canceled through March 29, but trails will remain open.

All recreational activities and events by Reston Association are canceled through March 20 as well. This Thursday’s Board of Directors meeting will be held by conference call. Members can still catch the livestream on YouTube.

While most gyms and restaurants are still open in the area, some are closing their doors temporarily.

“I am leaning heavily on the knowledge that I would rather regret closing out of an abundance of caution than regret staying open and discovering we have contributed to the spread of the illness,” wrote owner Liz Camp in an email.

Herndon

The Herndon Community Center is closed through March 27.

The Herndon Police Department is suspending the following non-emergency services: the community room, tours of facilities and vehicles, ride-along program, and Friday afternoon fingerprinting services.

All building inspections of homes or interior spaces are indefinitely suspended.

The list below will be updated regularly as the situation evolves rapidly.

Beginning at 8 a.m. outside South Lakes High School (11400 South Lakes Drive), participants can compete to make it across the finish line first, according to the website.

There will be awards for the first three male and female participants to finish the race as well as other awards in various age categories, the site said.

After the race, attendees can enjoy Valentine’s Day-themed treats, refreshments and photo opportunities. People who preregister will receive a long sleeve t-shirt.

A course map can be found online. Registration fees range from $45-50 now that early bird pricing has ended.

Tomorrow (Saturday)

Ukelele Jam Session (10:30 a.m.) — At Reston Regional Library (11925 Bowman Towne Drive) kids are invited to a performance by the Northern Virginia Ukulele Society and have a chance to learn about rhythm. This event is free and open to the public.

Groundhog’s Shadow (10:30 to 11:30 a.m.) — The Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive) invites young kids to learn about groundhogs, make puppets and make weather predictions. Tickets are $6 for RA members.

Annual Freezin’ for a Reason (2-5 p.m.) — This charity event raises money for Camp Sunshine, which serves kids with life-threatening illnesses. This event is donation based and anyone who raises over $100 will receive a t-shirt. Participants can gather at the Reston Community Center (2310 Colts Neck Road).

Super Bowl Watch Party (5:30-10 p.m.) — The Lake Anne Brew House (11401 North Shore Drive) invites people to come to view the SuperBowl. Tickets are $25 and include an unlimited nacho bar and other snacks. Drinks are available separately on-site. This event 21+.

This year, on the 10th anniversary of the competition, a photo of a Red-Winged Black Bird by Kathrin Swoboda took first place, according to the event page.

“This particular bird was very vociferous, singing long and hard,” Swoboda said. “I looked to set it against the dark background of the forest, shooting to the east as the sun rose over the trees, backlighting the vapor.”

The panel of six judges included photographers and conservation program directors from across the county.

On Sunday (Feb. 9) from 1-3 p.m. the Nature Walker Center will host an open house for the community and on Feb. 21 from 7-9 p.m. there will also be a “Birds on Film” event.

Attendees will have the chance to learn about birds around Reston and from areas where award-winning photos were taken, according to the email.

Holiday Open House (1-4 p.m.) — A holiday open house to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Nature House takes place at the. Walker Nature Center. The event is free and registration is not required.

This Sunday (Dec. 8), the Walker Nature Center (11450 Glade Drive) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its indoor facilities.

The center invites the community to come by its Nature House for an afternoon of nostalgia and celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. The event features live music, guest appearances from Santa and the center’s mascots, ornament crafting, sing-alongs and a cake-cutting ceremony.

The event organizers also ask that attendees bring along photos that they’ve previously taken and hang them to a wall along with written notes about memories surrounding the center, which will be on display through January.

A cake-cutting ceremony will take place at 1:15 p.m. and Santa is expected to arrive around 3 p.m.

Before the Nature House opened in 2009, the center was forced to turn people away due to a variety of reasons, Katie Shaw, the center’s manager said. Inclusion of the nature house was a gamechanger, she said.

The implementation of the facility allowed the center to host guests and student groups regardless of inclement weather, which Shaw said often left dozens of kids disappointed when their field trip was canceled.

“The fun goes on, the learning goes on. It has been wonderful,” she said.

Though the Walker Nature Center is nearly as old as Reston, Robert Simon included a suggestion for an indoor nature facility in his original plans, which was finally built thanks to financial assistance from the Friends of Reston.

Now, the center includes on-site naturalists to answer community questions, running water and plumbing, seasonal programs for all ages, event space and even an environmental film series for adults.

“Our environment, especially here in Reston, is under a lot of pressure now,” Shaw said. “Having this center here in the middle of this community engages people in something bigger than themselves.”

The annual “Turkey Trail” event in Reston invites community members to take a nature hike and learn about wild turkeys.

People can take a guided tour from a naturalist on Saturday (Nov. 30) from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m. at the Walker Nature Center (1140 Glade Drive). Participants will learn about turkey facts and the climate, according to the Facebook page.

All ages are welcome and programming is designed to interest a variety of participants, the event page said.

Tickets are $5 for Reston Association members and $7 for non-RA members. Anyone wishing to participate needs to register by Wednesday (Nov. 27).

Collect for Kids Campaign Exceeds Goals — The annual campaign, a drive for backpacks or school supplies for students in need, raised more than $28,400 this year. [Fairfax County Public Schools]

Campus Commons Moves Forward — “The Campus Commons project near the Wiehle-Reston East Metro stop is moving forward after the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors gave the final okay. It is the latest in a rash of approvals to redevelop office parks close to the Silver Line, but this particular project has provoked a new wave of opposition against long-planned changes–like new housing and offices–in Reston.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Fun at Reston’s Halloween House — “Children three through ten years of age delighted in Reston Association’s non-ghoulish Halloween House and Trick-or-Treat Trail at Walker Nature Center, held Oct. 25-26. Even though the association added more tickets for this year’s event, according to Katie Shaw, Nature Center Manager, advance times sold out once again before the weekend.” [The Connection]

The Walker Nature Center is urging residents to keep be on the lookout for an invasive insect. Officials in Pennsylvania and other states are urging residents to kill the insect, which is called a Spotted Lanternfly.

“If you find one here, please put it in a ziplock bag and bring it to the nature center,” the center recently tweeted.

The insect has red and block inner wings and outer wings with black spots.

We are worried about the invasive Spotted Lanternfly coming to Reston. If you find one here, please put it in a ziplock bag and bring it to the Nature Center. https://t.co/D4TvkpcEqV

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services established a quarantine for Frederick County and the city of Winchester in late May to slow down the spread of the insect.

Here’s more from state officials:

Spotted Lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species, including grapes, apples, stone fruits, hops and Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven), which is its preferred host. It poses a threat to Virginia’s peach, apple, grape and wine industries. Spotted Lanternfly can also be a nuisance pest to homeowners when numbers are high.

The spotted lanternfly was first detected in Winchester in January 2018. Subsequent surveys conducted by VDACS indicate that the pest has become established in the city of Winchester and spread into Frederick County, just north of Winchester. Prior to the January 2018 detection in Virginia, the only Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) found in the U.S. was in Pennsylvania. Populations are now established in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and northern Virginia.

It’s that time of year again: the Walker Nature Center will host Reston Association’s annual Spring Festival on Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

The festival is free and features entertainment, craft-making, display from local environmental groups and other activities. It will take place at the center (11450 Glade Drive)

Attendees can also rent canoes and kayaks on Lake Audubon for $5 for thirty minutes. A native plant sale and fishing activities are also planned.

This year’s entertainment schedule, which is sponsored by Reston Community Center, is packed with an animal show from 1:30-2:15 p.m., a mad science interactive show from 2:45-3:15 p.m., and Bob Brown Puppets from 4:15-4:45 p.m.

Song Garden, the Stewart Sisters and Lindsey Hirshfield will play acoustic music throughout the event. Parking is available along Glade and Soapstone Drives and near the Glade Pool.

Fatal Pedestrian Crashes Exceed Murder Rate in Fairfax County — Local officials are asking the public to avoid distracted driving in order to help prevent cyclists and pedestrians from being killed on the road. [WTOP]

‘Before the Flood’ Screening Tonight — The film followsactor Leonardo DiCaprio as he interviews scientists, activists and world leaders about climate change. The screening, which is part of an annual environmental film series, takes place at the Walker Nature Center from 7-9 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. A donation of $5 is suggested. [Reston Association]

County Proposal to Pay Legal Fees for Residents Facing Immigration Enforcement –– “As the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approaches the May 7 deadline for budget adoption, one of the more intriguing, and potentially polarizing, items under consideration is a pilot program that would fund legal representation for county residents subject to federal immigration enforcement actions.” [Fairfax County Times]

Dollars and Sense Today at Reston Regional Library — Join a monthly group discussion about business leaders and markets from 7-9 p.m. This month’s session covers “Moneyball” by Michael Lewis. The event is free and open to the public. [Reston Regional Library]

Live from the Den — In the continuing saga about a local fox family, the Walker Nature Center releases another live video from the den. [Walker Nature Center]

Herndon Planning Commission Meets Tonight — The commission takes another dive into establishing regulations for Airbnb-style rentals and creating new architectural guidelines for the Herndon Transit-Oriented Core. [Town of Herndon]

Tips on How to Sell Your Home — Mark Sierakowski, a realtor with Long and Foster, offers tips on how to sell your home in this free workshop at Reston Regional Library today from 7-8 p.m. [Reston Regional Library]

Kiddar Investors Gain Control of Herndon Office Building — “The investor group that backed Kiddar Capital’s acquisition of a Herndon office building entangled in a larger securities fraud case has been granted control over the 4.8-acre site.” [Washington Business Journal]

Earth Day with the Walker Nature Center — Celebrate Earth Day by sprucing up the nature center with new plants and fresh woodchopper tails. The event is organized by the Walker Nature Center and Reston Association. [Walker Nature Center]